The McDonald's and Starbucks Phenomenon

I think if people want more mom and pop they should eat at those palces.

The coming water shortages are somewhat similar to the coming oil shortages. They are coming, but they cannot seem to find a direction how to get here. McDonalds and Starbucks are just successful businesses, but if we want (I do) mom and pop joints to stick around, well, at least Wal-Mart is trying to do something about that. It would be nice if McDonalds and Starbucks do the same.

There is an article in business2.com ‘Can Wal-Mart buy off the neighbors?’.

Thus the world gets fatter!

Well this is very interesting but not a surprize. I use to live in a small town where there was no Starbucks at all but now they have one and all the other smaller coffee joins have closed. I like Starbucks even though it is a little expensive but the coffee and small section of breakfast choice satisfy me completely.

There are fewer McDonalds where I live (DC) but more Starbucks! Once I almost missed a date because we were going to meet up at Starbucks and there were two on the same street and we each went into one and wondered where the other person was.
Also their coffee is not good- I think it's bitter. But as far as I know they treat their employees well, so I go there. The unsweetened black iced coffee isn't bad!

Is there any truth in the story of starbuck's using coffee beans from incredibly poor countries and paying practically nothing for them (basically slave labour)? That would be reason enough for me not to go there, although where I live the other coffee shops far outdo starbucks in quality, price and taste anyway, so they're not under threat of going out of business. I think that's why starbucks hasn't really taken off here.

As for McDonalds, there seems to be at least one in every town now, and I'm sure some businesses have suffered from it, but quality of food still comes before quickness of service for a lot of people.

I think Starbucks proudly parades the fact that they get some coffee beans come from poor countries. They have what they call "supplier diversity program", which seems to be a good program.

Strange that starbucks presence is completey lacking in South America and Africa, eventhough they get raw material from both continents!

Starbucks boldly claim that it's impossible for them so source fair trade beans. That's empty rhetoric. They have enough buying power to significantly impact coffee growers worldwide.

Any yes, I do support "mom and pop". I get my coffee from a local roaster who can tell me exactly where every bean came from.

funny how the fattest countries are also the largest on here....

At least Starbucks is good to their employees with part time benefits and same-sex benefits. Decent wages, I hear also. I don't hate Starbucks - I just go somewhere else to get coffee, but i'm glad they exist. McDonalds on the other hand.....

But I'll take all of it over Wallmart.